Why West Brom should avoid playing a gamble on Xande Silva
According to The Telegraph, West Brom have been credited with an interest in West Ham academy prospect Xande Silva, with Slaven Bilic keen to bolster his attacking ranks before the summer deadline.
The Baggies have been monitoring Huddersfield Town’s Karlan Grant, as well as Watford pair Troy Deeney and Andre Gray, over the past few weeks but Silva has also emerged as a potential target for the Premier League newcomers. (h/t The Telegraph)
Profile
Born in Porto, Portugal, to an Angolan father, Xande Silva featured for Belenenses and Sporting Lisbon at the youth level before completing his development at Vitoria Guimaraes.
He made his first-team debut for the latter during the 2014-15 season and went on to make 30 appearances, scoring only once in the process, before departing for West Ham back in the summer of 2018.
Silva boasts an impressive track record of 10 goals in 12 games for the club’s U-23 side but has struggled to make the step up to the first-team. The former Portuguese U-20 international has only featured twice for the Hammers in all competitions so far, clocking up a meagre 96 minutes of senior football.
West Brom need a striker but Silva could be a gamble
Xande Silva has been widely regarded as an exciting prospect with loads of potential ever since his younger days in Portugal. However, the highly-rated versatile attacker is yet to make a successful transition from the youth ranks to senior football.
It’s very rare to see youngsters making the grade in the Premier League after the age of 23. Silva hasn’t been anywhere close to the first-team picture at the London Stadium, with injuries somewhat derailing his progress as well.
West Brom certainly need to bring in a new striker to compete with the likes of Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu, but investing in Silva would simply be a gamble that they can’t afford.
Considering the current economic condition in the post-pandemic market, it would hardly make any sense for the Baggies to move for a completely unproven striker with very little top-flight experience under his belt.
Silva, 23, doesn’t really fit the bit any longer as a promising youngster, so it’s hard to justify Bilic’s interest in the West Ham flop.
Read more
- Why West Brom should not make a move Troy Deeney
- West Brom hold talks to sign £900,000-rated defensive ace Cedric Kipre – A smart move by Bilic?
- Why Sheffield United must continue their pursuit of Oliver Burke
Verdict
West Brom need to invest in a striker with a proven track record at the senior level to enhance their chances of survival in the Premier League. Xande Silva is yet to deliver on his potential at West Ham. There are hardly any guarantees that he would be able to make an instant impact even if a move to the Hawthorns does materialise.
Having said that, the Baggies should look at options elsewhere to bolster their attack.
